Common Unity Real Estate LLC

04/20/2026

Last year was a challenging one, especially watching homeowners go through situations that, in many cases, could have been prevented.

04/01/2026

Why EXPERIENCE matters when it comes to foreclosure help

We just finished helping an Essex County, NJ property owner and this situation is exactly why you don’t want to navigate this process with just anyone who claims they help people in foreclosure.

Property owner is in tax foreclosure but we’re able to reach them just as they were entering the last stage and walk them through paying off the lien (he actually had the money but life got ahead of him and he got overwhelmed - we know that goes!).

He pays the lien off. Except the property is in Newark and I know from experience that this is one of the few municipalities who doesn't verify the amount with the tax lien holder *before* giving property owners the final amount due.

Instead Newark calculates the amount themselves. The problem with this? If the lien holder has incurred additional costs that the city hasn't yet been told about, the final amount the city gives the property owner is incorrect and the Foreclosure stays active. That's even though the owner has a receipt in hand showing that the tax lien has been paid.

Most people would think: “Okay, I’m good now.”

But experience tells us —that’s not always the case.

So we continue to monitor the Foreclosure file as we wait for a dismissal by the lien holder’s attorney. Except no dismissal is ever filed.

Suddenly the last motion is filed by the lien holder indicating that they are now applying for ownership of the owner's house. This despite the owner supposedly paying off the taxes!

We tried reaching the foreclosing attorney’s office—no response.

So I reached out to one of our trusted attorneys to step in and look deeper.

The attorney contacts the lien holder's attorney and finds out that the homeowner was $326 short of the total payoff!

Because of that, the tax lien holder refused to dismiss the foreclosure and was on their way to taking ownership of the house.

Let that sink in…

👉 This man was about to lose a $350,000 property over $326.

That’s the difference between:

Thinking something is handled

vs.

Knowing it’s actually resolved

This is why experience matters in foreclosure situations.

It’s not just about paying what someone tells you—It’s about verifying:

✔️ The exact payoff
✔️ Court status
✔️ Attorney filings
✔️ Official dismissal

One small oversight can cost you EVERYTHING.

If you or someone you know is dealing with:

Foreclosure

Inherited property issues

Tax liens

Or simply looking to sell….

Don’t guess your way through it.

Reach out. We're always willing to help! And for FREE!

03/23/2026

Last week, we personally witnessed a licensed real estate broker with his own office, allow his client's inherited house to be foreclosed due to back taxes. We actually warned him two days before it happened. We simply got a "thank you" In response and that was it.

If your home is in foreclosure, make sure every single member on your team helping you with this situation is highly knowledgeable and experienced. We've seen homeowners hire an attorney AND a realtor and still end up losing their home. Knowledge and experience matters.

03/18/2026

Be careful out there folks....

***SCAM ALERT: FAKE COURT NOTICES***

The Newark Police Division alerts the public to beware of recent fraudulent “Notice of Hearing – Traffic Violation / Toll Violation” letters being sent by scammers.

These notices are NOT legitimate.

They may appear official and often include a QR code demanding payment while threatening court action.

Indicators that this is a false summons:
• No name of who the summons has been issued
• No vehicle description
• No license plate number
• No date of incident

Do NOT:
• Scan the QR code
• Click any links
• Provide personal or financial information

If you receive one:
• Do not respond
• Verify the notice through an official court or county website
• Report as spam on your phone and block the number

These scams are designed to look real, but they are not issued by any legitimate court. Courts DO NOT send summons out via text message.

Please share this post to help protect others.

03/13/2026

Anyone else following what may become the Supreme Court’s next major decision in tax foreclosure law?

In 2023, the Tyler v. Hennepin County decision ruled that governments cannot keep the surplus equity when they take someone’s property for unpaid taxes. In other words, if someone owes $20,000 in property taxes and their $300,000 home is taken and sold, the government cannot simply keep the remaining equity. That practice—often referred to as “equity theft”—was ruled unconstitutional.
The ruling raised big questions for states like New Jersey, where tax lien foreclosures have historically allowed municipalities or private lien holders to acquire properties worth far more than the tax debt.

Now the Court is being asked to look at another issue in Pung v. Isabella County.
The key question:

If a government sells a foreclosed property at auction and returns the surplus proceeds, is that enough?

Or should the government be responsible if the property sells for far less than its true market value?

For example:
• Property market value: $350,000
• Tax debt: $25,000
• Auction sale price: $250,000

Even if the homeowner receives the surplus after the tax debt is paid, they may still have lost significant equity because forced auctions often produce lower prices than traditional market listings.

Depending on how the Court rules, this case could have major implications for tax foreclosure systems nationwide.
It could also reshape how governments dispose of foreclosed properties—and potentially bring more homes into the traditional real-estate market. Perhaps via the use of a Realtor which would likely increase the demand for realtors.

Personally, we believe the goal should be simple: when someone loses their home over a tax debt, and we're still doing everything in our power to make sure that doesn't happen, the system should still protect as much of their equity as possible.

What do you think?

03/04/2026

Looking to sell your house and thinking about going with the higher financed offer versus the lower cash offer?

Many sellers don't realize that an offer with a financing contingency typically comes with two others: Inspection and appraisal. In other words, the seller has to hope that the inspection doesn't reveal too many problems with their home, the house appraises for at least the amount the buyer is purchasing it for and finally.....the buyer actually gets approved for their mortgage.

So the seller's buyer has three hurdles to get through in order to successfully buy the house. Unfortunately on the way to the closing table, so much can go wrong with either of these.

It Becomes really tragic when the house is in foreclosure and facing a legal deadline. In these situations a cash offer from the right buyer is almost always the best way to go.

02/23/2026

A couple purchased a two-family home over 50 years ago to build security for their only child. After they passed, their son inherited it.

Within 10 years, the property was lost to tax foreclosure — along with more than $500,000 in equity.

This wasn’t a situation where someone fought to keep their home and couldn’t make ends meet. Instead the Son simply abandoned the property, moved out of state and allowed the taxes to go unpaid.

And just like that, decades of hard work disappeared.

This is exactly why simply “leaving everything to the kids” isn’t always the safest plan.

Instead, A properly structured trust can

• Appoint a responsible trustee
• Ensure taxes and expenses are paid
• Protect rental income
• Prevent abandonment
• Preserve generational wealth

If the beneficiary (the Son in this case) no longer wants the property, a trustee can sell it responsibly — not let it slip into foreclosure.

Talk to an experienced estate attorney about whether a trust makes more sense than a will for your situation.

If you’d like a referral to experienced trust attorneys who understand asset protection, feel free to inbox us.

02/04/2026

A week ago today we got off the phone with a realtor who's listing was in the last stage of tax foreclosure. She knew the house was in tax foreclosure but had no idea what stage it was in or that she was less than a month away from losing the property.

I'm sure she's good at what she does but no way should any real estate professional be involved in a foreclosure and not have all the facts. If your real estate professional can't tell you how much time you have left before you lose ownership of the property then you may not have the correct person on your team to help you save your home.

Of course we connected her with one of our preferred attorneys whose firm will jump right on it to make sure they don't lose the house.

02/04/2026

This one had the entire team really concerned. Not only because a foreclosure would have meant that someone losses over $319,000 in equity built up in over 30 years of ownership. But also because the owners, an Elderly couple, were 95 and 104 years old and would have literally been put out on the street (tax foreclosure in New Jersey is absolutely BRUTAL).

So we feverishly worked to track down younger family members and ended up reaching the Son who actually knew what was going on. Oddly enough he even had the money to pay off the taxes. He just didn't realize that his parents were 48 hours away from losing everything. Honestly, it sounded like he was just really overwhelmed with life (as I'm sure we can all relate to) and this somehow fell off his radar.

So we connected him to one of our preferred attorneys who jumped on it right away and got the situation resolved. The Elderly couple gets to keep their home and our team has another satisfied client.

We love what we do - Buying houses and SAVING homes.

01/27/2026

This is incredible. Homeowners who lost their homes and equity in Michigan tax foreclosures that took place before 2020 are now receiving millions of dollars in compensation from lost equity. All thanks to a recent Michigan Supreme Court ruling.

The greedy tax lien holders in NJ are probably shaking in their boots as this would practically bankrupt them if it became law here.

Wayne County continues to process claims and pay out auction proceeds to former owners and interest holders. Detroit, MI - Millions of dollars are now making their way back to Wayne County residents who lost property to tax foreclosure following important Michigan court rulings and changes in Mic